Process of manufacturing golf-balls.



No. 699,087. Patented Apr. 29, I902.

E. KEMPSHALL. 'PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING GOLF BALLS.

(Application filed Mar. 12, 1902.)

(No Model.

Inventor EleazerKempJ/zall flylzl'sjltarnqy Mlzwsses:

a: News PETERS co, mo-rouma. wAsHmGTuN, n c

To all whom it may concern:

. the ball, and Fig. 3 illustrates the relative UNITED STA-Tris 'PA'TENT ()FFICE.

ELEAZER KEMPSHALL, OF osron mnssnonusnrrs, nssrenon TO THE KEMPSHALL MANUFACTURING. COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING GOLF-BALLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 699,087, dated April 2 9,, 1902. Application filed March 12, 1992'. Serial No. 97,881. (No model.)

Be it known that I, ELEAZER KEMPSHALL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, in the county of Sulfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Manufacturing Golf-Balls, of which thefollowing is a specification. This invention relates toa process 'for the manufacture of playing-balls; and its chief Object is to strengthen and improve the covers of balls which are subjected to severe usage,

as in the game of golf.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is 'a view of my improvedfball partly broken Fig.

away, so as to exhibit its construction. 2 illustrates a stagein the process of covering arrangement of jointed layers used in forming the cover. r

In the several views similar parts are designated by similar, characters of reference.

Upona core 20 of suitablev material, such as gutta-percha orsoft rubber, I place hemispherical segments 21 and 22 of hard Wear-resisting materialsuch, for instance, as celluloid-a-nd this inner shell I inclose with an outer shell consisting of hemispherical .segments 23 and 2a, placing the latter so that the seam A between the inner segments extends transversely and preferably at right angles to the edges B and O of the outer segments. The ball thus formed or assembled I place between heating and forming dies 25 and 26, the edges B and 0 preferably being parallel-with the lips E and F of the dies. The latter I bring together forcibly, thereby closing the outer shell upon the inner shell and joining the edges B and O of the former. The filling or core 20 is nearly the full size of the balliand isioriginally prepared some- 'what,oversizefthat is,.of a;bulk too great for theoapacityof the finished shell-and one of the objects of compressing the shell upon the ,filling is to place the latter in a'state of normal compression, so'as to increase the efficiency of the ball.

An advantage of my present improvements is that the material of the filling is prevented by the inner shell at D from squeezing out between'the lips E and F of the dies. The

heat renders the celluloid plastic, and the compression of the dies is maintained until .theshell of the ball cools and hardens.

The heating of the dies renders the material of the shell layers plastic and enablesv the edges at A, as well as those at B and C, to weld, and owing to the crossing of the welds the danger of the ball bursting at a weld when subject to rough usage in play is avoided, since the body portion of one of the layers reinforces the weld portion of the other thereof, thereby making a practicably indestructible casing for the core. Moreover, the weld itself is improved in character in each layer'by reason of, the contiguity of the material-Of the otherlayer, the'heating and pressure, having. a ,tendency to :compact the material of bothlaye'rsintoone concrete thick shell. The pressurezto ,which'th'esh ell is subjected tends. also .'to; compact, toughen, and temper the, celluloid or-other. material,

rendering it lessliable to chip offand also more springy, tenacious, and "durable. It will also be understood that celluloid in the form of thin. layersjwhich-I preferably use,

has desirable,qualities thatare .not so well markedwhen the-celluloid'is made up in thicklayers, so that my laminated shell has the temper of thin celluloid, while also havingenough body to furnish the necessary resistance to ablow. Either orboth ofzthe layers may, however, be incompletely cured or somewhat green, it being desirable that there shall be at least enough solvent present in the material to render the same plastic and weldable when heat is applied. Thus it will be seen that the ball at Fig. 1 comprises a solid core of gutta-percha, soft rubber, or suitable materials in combination compressed by a shell built upof layers of celluloid, each layer consisting of segments welded at their edges, the welds crossing, and said'layers being further welded together or adhering facewise, thereby. producingja shell practically as strong as a seamless shell, in the normal expansive tendency of the filling serving or aiding to niaintain the true spherical form of the shell, and also aiding materially to restoring the ball to its true shape after a blow,

thereby conducing to the flying power thereof. Moreover, by having the core in a state of initial compression less distortion of the ball under a blow occurs before the limit of compression is reached, whereby less force is wasted in changing and restoring the shape to the ball, so that nearly all of the force of theimplement is utilized in speeding the ball.

It will be seen that one layer of the shell serves to reinforce the joint of the other layer, and it will be understood that such reinforcement not only enables the shell to withstand the normal expansive energy of the filling, but also prevents undue fiexure and practically eliminates the danger of bursting at the joint.

It is to be understood that in case condensation of the core occurs at the compressing operation it is due to the presence of air-spaces or impurities in the material. It is not essential in practicing my invention that the core be always condensed in bulk, so long as when the ball is finished the core is gripped by the shell. This grip is made even more powerful by the shrinking of the celluloid, which continues for a long time after the ball is made.

I usually form the shell of golf-balls with a pebbled or brambled surface, as at G; but for other games the balls may be made with a smooth periphery;

As my improvements relate chiefly to an improvement in the shell, whereby it is adapted particularly for the purposes specified, I have illustrated the core 20 in the form of a solid sphere; but it may be otherwise formed and still be Wholly or partly held under compression by the improved shell. I prefer to employ gutta-percha for at least a large portion of said core, although any other yielding backing may be employed for the shell, reducing the tendency of the latter to chip and also cooperating therewith to increase the efliciency of the ball. The shell I make rela tively thin, so that it may possess a degree of flexibility, springiness, or temper not present in a solid or nearly solid ball of the same material, thus preserving the wear-resisting quality of the ball, while making it lively and efficient. So long as the shell is made up of wear-resisting material which is harder than the backing or filling it is not essential that said shell in all cases be made of celluloid. More than two plies of layers may be used for the shell within the scope of my invention. While I prefer celluloid for reinforcing the joint or weld between segments, other material may be employed within the scope of my invention, and while I prefer to reinforce one welded or jointed segmental shell by means of a like shell, still a reinforcement may be made by means of a shell otherwise formed and consisting of other substance.

In using the term celluloid I mean to include all components of the celluloid or pyroxylin class.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A process in producing a playing-ball, consisting in inclosing a spherical core in previously-formed segments of plastic material so as to make a shell consisting ofa plurality of layers, the segments being so placed thatthe joint in one layer crosses the joint in another layer, and subjecting the ball thus formed or assembled to compression.

2. A process, in producing a playing-ball, consisting in inclosing a spherical core in previously-formed segments of plastic material so as to make a shell consisting of a plurality of layers, the segments being so placed that the joint in one layer crosses the joint in another layer, bringing said layers to a plastic condition by means of heat, subjecting the whole to compression, and maintaining the compression while the shell cools and hardens.

3. A process in producing a playing-ball, consisting in inclosing a spherical core in previously-formed segments of celluloid so as to make a shell consisting of a plurality of layers, the segments being so placed that thejoint in one layer crosses the joint in another layer, and subjecting the ball thus formed or assembled to compression.

4:. A process in producing a playing-ball, consisting in inclosing a spherical core in previously-formed segments of celluloid so as to make a shell consisting of a plurality of layers, the segments being so placed that thev joint in one layer crosses the joint in another layer, bringing said layers to a plastic condition by means of heat, subjecting the whole to compression, and maintaining the compression while the shell cools and hardens.

5. A process in producing a playing-ball, consisting in inclosing a spherical core of springy material in shell layers of plastic material, at least one of said layers being previously formed and consisting of spherical segments, bringing said layers to a plastic condition, subjecting the whole to compression to such an extent as tocompress said core, and maintaining the compression while the shell hardens.

6. A process in producing a playing-ball, consisting in inclosing a spherical core consisting at least partially of gutta-percha in previously-formed segments of plastic material so as to make a shell consisting of a plurality of layers, the segments being so placed that the joint in one layer crosses the joint in another layer, subjecting the ball thus formed or assembled to compression to such an extent as to compress said core, and maintaining the compression until the shell hardens.

7. A process in producing a playing-ball, consisting in inclosing a spherical core of gutta-percha in previously-formed segments of plastic material so as to make a shell consisting of a plurality of layers, at least one of said layers consisting of celluloid, and the segments being so placed that the joint in one layer crosses the joint in another layer, bringin g said layers to a plastic condition by means of heat, subjecting the whole to compression,

and maintaining the compression While the shell cools and hardens. l

8. A process inproducing a playing-ball, consisting in inclosing a spherical core of 'gutta-percha in shell layers of celluloid, at

least one of said. layers being previously formed and consisting of spherical segments, bringing said layers to a plastic condition,

subjecting thewhole to compression, and,

maintaining the compression hile the shell hardens.

V 9. A processin producing a playing-ball, consisting in inclosing a spherical core of gutta-percha in previously-formed segments consisting largely or wholly of celluloid so as to make a shell consisting of a plurality of layers, thesegments being so placed that the jointin one layer crosses the joint in another of a plurality of layers, the segments being so placed that the joint in one layer crosses the joint in another layer, bringing said i layers to a plastic condition bymeans of heat, subjecting the whole to compression, andmaintaining the compression While the shell cools and hardens.

ELEAZER KEMPSHALL.

Witnesses:

B. G. STIcKNEY, E. J. CLARKSON. 

